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Zero Gravity: The Art Institute, Renzo Piano, and Building for a New Century
Ongoing
Gallery 50
Organizer:
In 1999, internationally recognized Italian architect Renzo Piano was
commissioned to design the Art Institute’s new north wing. Piano’s
plan, which makes imaginative use of natural light and blends of new
architectural forms into an established urban fabric, has inspired this
exhibition that not only provides a foretaste of the new addition but
also evokes the stimulating environment of the Renzo Piano Building
Workshop, where the architect’s singular visions take shape.
Located at the top of the Grand Staircase, Zero Gravity
portrays Piano’s studio as a creative place where ideas develop, plans
are drawn, and models crafted. On a large table, reminiscent of the one
in his Paris office, working documents are displayed. Nearby walls bear
plans and drawings that document the project’s development. The models
on exhibit are crucial to understanding how the architect’s process.
Two-dimensional plans are developed in three dimensions to fully
analyze concepts of scale and space. Removed from the confines of a
gallery, the work is incorporated into the museum’s own architecture,
underscoring Piano’s commitment to designing a building integral to the
historic whole.
Opening
in spring 2009, the glass, limestone, and steel structure will add a
21st-century architectural identity to a museum best known for its
grand 19th-century building on Michigan Avenue. The new wing’s
distinctive feature will be a luminous sunscreen, described by the
architect as a “flying carpet,” that will “float” above the actual roof
and shelter the building and its immediate surroundings. The wing will
provide new galleries for modern and contemporary art, while more than
doubling classroom space for educational programs and adding a third,
public garden court.
Many of the materials on view in the
exhibition are reproduced in a 56-page catalogue illustrated with more
than 40 color models, plans, renderings, and sketches. An essay by
president and director James Cuno explores Piano’s approach to the
design of the building, while curator Martha Thorne surveys his recent
museum architecture. The book is available in the Museum Shop and online.
Overview: This exhibition is organized by the Renzo Piano Building Workshop and the Art Institute of Chicago
Sponsor: This exhibition made possible through the generous contribution of Chase.
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